Daily Tech News Digest – 2026-05-02

Top tech headlines from BBC Technology, TechRadar and Ars Technica in the last 24 hours.

BBC Technology

• Tech Now
  Harriet Bradshaw finds out how AI is being used to help solve an art history mystery.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 01:00:00 GMT
• Oscars says AI actors and writing cannot win awards
  The academy that controls the Oscars on Friday issued new award eligibility requirements around the use of artificial intelligence in film.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 22:30:59 GMT
• Bright idea? UK firm pioneers data centres using lampposts
  The solar-powered iLamps will have a built-in Nvidia chip but there are questions over their security and scalability.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 21:23:33 GMT
• Pentagon says US military to be an 'AI-first' fighting force
  The US military has agreed eight new contracts with big tech firms as it expands its artificial intelligence capabilities.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 21:09:52 GMT
• Elon Musk's latest Tesla pay valued at $158bn - but he can't pocket it
  Musk must meet a range of ambitious milestones at Tesla to justify the monster pay packet - so far he has not.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 16:23:13 GMT

TechRadar Tech

• 'That is why it is important to have full control': Dutch government launches its own self-hosted GitHub alternative in the latest blast against US tech giants such as Microsoft
  The Netherlands has launched a self-hosted Git platform to gain control over code infrastructure, reduce reliance on external providers, and support collaboration.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 11:05:00 +0000
• Brentford vs West Ham FREE Live Streams: How to watch Premier League 2025/26 from anywhere in the world
  All the ways to watch Brentford vs West Ham live streams online and from anywhere ahead of a huge London derby for both clubs.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000
• How to watch Leinster vs Toulon: Free Streams & TV Channels for 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup semi-final
  All the ways to watch Leinster vs Toulon live streams online – including for FREE – as Dublin's Aviva Stadium hosts the 2025/26 Champions Cup semi-final.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000
• 'Light years ahead of the rest of the world': China shows off the future of EV batteries at the Beijing Auto Show — as CATL and BYD race to cut charging times down to just five minutes
  The Beijing Auto Show played host to numerous rapid-charging demos, as China looks to cut EV charging time to a minimum
  Sat, 02 May 2026 11:00:00 +0000
• ICYMI: the 8 biggest tech stories of the week, from new Moto foldables to electric air taxis
  Missed some of the big stories that have appeared on TechRadar this week? Not any more, you haven't.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 09:30:00 +0000
• 'No other smartwatch has this feature': the Apple Watch's most innovative running feature is one you've probably never used
  Apple uses GPS and Apple Maps data to implement a cool hidden feature.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000
• The Garmin Venu 4 is your 'do-it-all companion' and our favourite smartwatch from the manufacturer — get it now for a record-low price
  The Garmin Venu 4 is our favourite smartwatch from the manufacturer and it just crashed to a record-low price at Amazon.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 06:55:00 +0000
• Apple Mac Studio M2 vs iMac M4: Which is the one for you?
  These two Macs have many differences and a few similarities. Is one of them better for you?
  Sat, 02 May 2026 06:25:00 +0000
• How to watch Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani: live stream boxing online, preview, ringwalks, fight card
  See how to watch Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani live streams online from anywhere, in a massive all-Japanese fight for the undisputed super-bantamweight title.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000
• One of Verizon’s best-ever deals returns with a huge Apple bundle — get an iPhone 17, iPad, and Apple Watch included with a new line
  Apple fan? Don't skip over Verizon's latest iPhone 17 deal — including a phone, tablet, and Apple Watch all under one plan.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000
• It's simple to start your own help desk with HESK
  Installing an online help desk should take little time or money. HESK is an open-source solution worth considering.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 03:45:00 +0000
• Lego’s Star Wars Day celebration starts early with new Mandalorian sets, double points for Insiders, and three gifts with purchase, including a free Darksaber build
  Lego is celebrating May the 4th early, and turning it into a weekend event, with double points for Insider members, new sets, and some especially nice sets that land as a free gift with purchase.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 03:20:50 +0000
• I'm a long-time Garmin user and the Vivoactive 6 for AU$388 would be my pick over the Apple Watch SE 3 — here's why
  Garmin’s smartwatches generally have a more expensive upfront cost, but this deal on the entry-level Vivoactive 6 tears that barrier down a bit, if health and fitness are your priorities over smarts.
  Sat, 02 May 2026 00:30:00 +0000
• Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, May 2 (game #1559)
  Looking for Quordle clues? We can help. Plus get the answers to Quordle today and past solutions.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 23:00:00 +0000
• NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 2 (game #1056)
  Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 23:00:00 +0000
• NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, May 2 (game #790)
  Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 23:00:00 +0000
• 3 swoon-worthy romantic movies to watch on HBO Max in May 2026
  Wuthering Heights leads the line up of new HBO Max romantic movies you won't want to miss in May.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 23:00:00 +0000
• 'Beyond the financial risk, there are real public safety implications': Hackers crawled Canadian streets with SMS blasters, attacking every target in sight — causing 13 million network disruptions and hacking thousands of devices
  Hackers used vehicle-mounted SMS blasters to impersonate networks, disrupt millions of connections, and infiltrate thousands of devices across Toronto streets.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 22:05:00 +0000
• Apple’s Mac mini now has a higher starting price, as it discontinues the entry-level model and slides down to the mid-range
  Apple's entry-level $599 Mac mini with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM is no longer available.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 21:51:51 +0000
• I don't know if Vision Pro is alive or dead, but it is still the most sophisticated, powerful, and coolest hardware Apple ever built — and we can surely thank it for the glasses that will follow
  Apple Vision Pro's success may matter less than all the products Apple and John Ternus will build because of it.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 20:55:14 +0000

Ars Technica Technology

• Study: AI models that consider user's feeling are more likely to make errors
  Overtuning can cause models to "prioritize user satisfaction over truthfulness.”
  Fri, 01 May 2026 22:23:36 +0000
• The RAMpocalypse has bought Microsoft valuable time in the fight against SteamOS
  Op-ed: Valve has made a dent in Windows' gaming share, but can it keep going?
  Fri, 01 May 2026 22:00:59 +0000
• Man dies covered in necrotic lesions after amoebas eat him alive
  Doctors suspect three factors, each unremarkable on its own, contributed to his fate.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 21:05:37 +0000
• Ubuntu infrastructure has been down for more than a day
  The outage has hampered communication concerning a critical vulnerability that gives root.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 19:12:26 +0000
• Senators ban themselves from prediction markets after candidates bet on own races
  Senator decries "blatant, brazen corruption," wants to target Trump admin next.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 17:51:24 +0000
• Minnesota passes ban on fake AI nudes; app makers risk $500K fines
  More evidence of Grok CSAM seen as Minnesota passes nudifying app ban.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 17:36:29 +0000
• Amazon stuck with months of repairs after drone strikes on data centers
  AWS stops billing Middle East cloud customers as repairs to war damage drag on.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 17:09:59 +0000
• Scorpions go terminator mode and reinforce their weapons with metal
  Different hunting patterns seem to dictate different distributions of metal.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 16:24:45 +0000
• GPT-5.5 matches heavily hyped Mythos Preview in new cybersecurity tests
  New results suggest Mythos' cyber threat isn't "a breakthrough specific to one model."
  Fri, 01 May 2026 15:32:27 +0000
• Is your Purosangue SUV not sharp enough? Ferrari has you covered.
  We'll soon get to see the brand's first EV; first, a more honed V12 four-seater.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 15:23:38 +0000
• Virgin Galactic reveals new ship, but it's running out of time and cash
  It's not clear whether Virgin Galactic has the cash reserves to fund a prolonged test phase.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 14:42:45 +0000
• Apple may take "several months" to catch up to Mac mini and Studio demand
  Chip shortages and demand from AI enthusiasts are both playing a part.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 14:10:48 +0000
• Women sue the men who used their Instagram feeds to create AI porn influencers
  AI ModelForge is a platform that teaches men how to generate their own AI influencers.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 13:26:34 +0000
• Rocket Report: Falcon Heavy is back; Russia's Soyuz-5 finally debuts
  Two launches this week delivered 61 more satellites to orbit for the Amazon Leo broadband network.
  Fri, 01 May 2026 12:39:03 +0000

— Auto-generated digest